Saturday, June 8, 2013

Tricia Santos: An Unconventional Path

Now that Tricia Santos is officially part of the UST
Tigresses, she might as well be the successor of Gretchen Ho as the face of
UAAP Volleyball.

But first, let’s have a review. We wouldn’t even care much
about this new Tigress if it weren’t for her pretty face and her brief but loud
exposure in one of the PBB Teen Editions where she was one of the most popular
contestants. Although she became an instant favorite because of her good looks,
she quickly gained haters for being too “maarte” and “malandi”. She wasn’t
exactly the most loved contestant in that edition. She was evicted on Day 63
(Wow! Some research there, huh. LOL).

In fact, as a proof that she was already a part of showbiz,
some rumors of Anorexia even came out after photos of her being extremely thin
started circulating.

She later explained that her weight loss was due to an
injury and a long time rest from playing volleyball. Shortly after the said
photos started circulating, she came back looking okay and was even able to participate
in Palarong Pambansa 2012 in Pangasinan.

Some people are saying that Tricia is just using UAAP
Volleyball as a way to make it back to fame and maybe, even back to showbiz. We
know for sure that if that was the plan, it’s a pretty good one. Now more than
ever, volleyball is capable of converting a nobody into a household name. And
having a background as colorful as hers, she will surely get a lot of attention
as a new UAAP volleybelle.

There's actually a good reason for some people to consider this. Years ago, Tricia seemed to be having a really good start in her showbiz career. She was even being groomed to be the next Kim Chiu. But it never happened. Maybe there's just a concern that since UAAP volleyball has created some celebrities out of ordinary college students like Michelle Gumabao, Gretchen Ho and Fille Cainglet, Tricia might just be using the sport as a stepping stone for a showbiz comeback.

Regardless if she’s playing for the love of the sport or
even for an ulterior motive, she is very much welcome to the very colorful
world of collegiate volleyball. I hope she’ll prove to be a powerful recruit
for the Tigresses who have just lost key players in Caballejo and Ortiz. I even think that with the amount of attention (and new fans) that she will bring to the sport, UAAP volleyball might even benefit from her. :D

*** Due to the number of reactions to this post (mostly negative), I've decided to give a response.

First, I've read the article again and forgive me but I did not see anything incorrect or offensive. Except maybe for the "anorexic" pic which I've now removed. To those who did not understand, the anorexic issue was added as a proof that she was formally part of showbiz. (Sa mga slow, ang pagkakaroon ng mga tsismis tungkol sa'yo is one of the proofs that you are already a showbiz personality. Kung di ka pinag-uusapan, hindi ka sikat. Hindi ka pag-aaksayahan ng time.)

Second, I did not say that I thought she was using volleyball to stage a showbiz comeback. Believe me, I've heard it from other people, expressed in a much harsher way. I was only presenting their thoughts and why they came up with those thoughts. I did not confirm it.

Third, I am not a hater. If there's one thing I hate in this world, it's how narrow/closed-minded people are. As I said in the last paragraph, she is VERY MUCH WELCOME to the world of collegiate volleyball. Hindi lahat ng taong magsasabi ng hindi papuri sa idol niyo, hater kaagad. I didn't say she is a bad player or that she's not really a volleyball player. I know she was a key player for Ateneo de Davao when she was in high school. I even said she played in the Palaro. And I know that she won't get into the UST Tigresses team if she was not good.

Lastly, I want to expound on what I said in the last paragraph. I am excited to see her play in the UAAP. I believe she will actually help the sport with the number of fans she presently has and the new ones she'll attract while playing. I have nothing against her. If you back read my tweets, I've mentioned her a couple of times on a positive note. So yeah, there. Peace.

yes it's the blogger's opinion, I can accept that, pero RESPECT? How can I respect an opinion which is so filled with HATRED? This hatred spurred Hitler to kill millions of JEWS. HATRED I will never respect! I think you owe Tricia an apology.

And you consider your blog as the number 1 volleyball blog. I think you need to work on yourself before picking on other people. Making harsh blogs about players doesn't make you any good player. I accept the fact that this is your opinion,but I think that this post is just to rude.

Hala! ANO BA TONG BLOGGER NA TO??? OBVIOUSLY, YOU ARE A HATER. A BULLY. Seriously? You need to move on from her PBB stint, which was like 3 years ago. And as many of us know, PBB is a show that sensationalizes many things/issues to promote other housemates even to the detriment of the others. You said she wanted to be BACK TO FAME? that's why she's using volleyball? MY GULAY! I have been following Tricia all these years since her PBB days, and I don't think she seeks attention/fame in the same level that you want to convey.

bully tricia? sya na lang talaga ang bigyan ng pansin? paano kung sabihin ko sa iyo that i graduated cum laude from UP? tama na ako? i saw the addu hs play and touting that tricia is uaap quality is hype. but like what i said, people can improve. so can you. i dont hate tricia santos. but aside from her kaartehan, she is not a gold mine like alyssa valdez, ara galang, pia gaiser, miko urdas or des cheng. grow up fantard!

I think you wrote about Tricia Santos because of her numerous followers. So if you say, in your opinion, that she is using UAAP as a comeback road to showbiz, then my friend, you are using Tricia Santos as a way to attract readers to this blog. Goodluck sa mga isusulat mo pang volleyball players para maging number one itong blog mo. Ingat ka lang kay karma -_-

to those people who thinks that tricia santos will just use UAAP just for the fame and not for the sake of playing the sport or the passion for it. sorry but please think again because the fact that she made it to the UST team means she got some talent in playing volleyball. UST is a very strong team and also a competitive one. di nman sya nagpacute lang dun tapos tinanggap na agad. dumaan sya sa isang matinding tryout like the other players and one more thing hindi po ganun kababaw ang mga fans ng volleyball para i-idolize lang ang mga players dahil sa maganda sila instead people notice them because of their talent, skill and passion for the game.

i'm not a hater but i know her so called "friends" and a lot of her acquaintances don't like her because of her feeling close attitude and her pakitang gilas to people. she's not that good at volleyball but knowing collegiate coaches, she could improve.

There's this thing called etiquette in wrting. Be responsible in taking both sides to be fair in what you'll write. Try that first and see what a difference your so-called opinion will make. Otherwise you're post reflects highly of you :)

A good pr move by UST, its fan base has dwindled and shifted to other teams. Tricia has neither the talent and intellect to qualify for a slot with other teams. ADU, took interest in her but Coach Meneses was unimpressed and let her go. Good luck to you pretty Tricia

I agree with you. The people who somehow overreacted to this blog are Tricia's fans way back. There's nothing wrong if she'll use volleyball as a stepping stone to take stab on her showbiz aspiration again. Don't kill the messenger...

Another mindless comment from a moron who could not think and write rationally. You just showed us of how classless and uneducated you are. Give us a sane and logical rebuttal regarding this blog. Don't know the author except that he'e an admu fan which I'm not. Respect begets respect...

I'm just thankful that they took time to read what I've written. As intellectual beings, it's our task to filter what we read and ponder on them with an open mind. If it offends us in some way, we have to ask ourselves first. "Why am I offended? Is it because it's against my idol? Is it because I disagree?" After we considered these things and we're sure that the fault is indeed on the writer's end, only then should we react. But hopefully, in a civilized way.

You thought being anorexic is a way to be popular or talked about?Fuck you sir/ma'am but anorexia is a disease. It's fucking offensive. Try to put yourself in their shoes and try not to be offendedBelieve me you would. I'm anorexic and I felt bad for tricia.Stupid blog. How about play volleyball and not just blog about it. Get a life

I didn't think for once that she used Anorexia to be popular. And mind you, the Anorexia issue was just a rumor. She was never diagnosed of it. And I know more about Anorexia than you do because I'm a medical professional.

You're anorexic? For real? Did you know that one of the symptoms of Anorexic patients or any eating disorder for that matter is their inability to recognize their disease?

"How about play volleyball and not just blog about it". Wow. Smart. So if everyone just played volleyball and no one wrote about it, would it be better for you?

Buti naman tinanggal na yung anorexic (daw) na photo ni Tricia. Honestly, that was very offensive. And if indeed she had that disease in the past, you were not helping her regain herself. Instead you made her look like a laughing-stock, a subject of ridicule, which is not a good thing. The post is going on the verge of being more like an article in a tabloid rather than a blog post, with its controversial insinuations and controversial photo. Oh! by the way, prior to your Tricia and Fantard posts, you barely had 18K overall page views. That would translate to about 500+ page views/post. Then came your post about Tricia last Saturday, and BOOM!!! Suddenly you gained a whooping FIVE THOUSAND PLUS (5,000+) page views in less than 2 days. You have been eagerly promoting this blog on Twitter. Even insensitively twitting the offended party with links to this blog in your effort to promote it. Now, I guess its time for you to thank Tricia for helping you greatly elevate your page views. 1 blog post about Tricia = 10 uncontroversial posts :)Congrats! :)

Wow. "laughing-stock, a subject of ridicule". Nice words. And I liked your use of the word "insinuations" too. Keep it up!

Thanks for the research pala. And yes, I've been trying to get more people to read my blog. But did you notice how there were no ads? And how there was no self-promotion or anything else to that extent?

Yup. Cause this blog was made just for the sake of the sport. Now since you seem so smart, you should try reading the article again. This time, with an open mind.

Let's wait and see how Tricia will play this coming season. The try out videos that came out are not enough for one to conclude how good she can be. Walang defenders eh. Parang free throws lang, and the setting part din, hagis lang ng bola.:)